It is currently Mon Mar 16, 2020 6:38 pm

All times are UTC - 7 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 41 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2, 3  Next
Go to page 1, 2, 3  Next
Author Message
Post subject: Why get a p bass when i could get say... a rickenbacker?
Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2009 1:12 pm
Offline
Roadie
Roadie
User avatar

Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2009 2:37 pm
Posts: 225
Location: Canada, NB
Why get a p bass when i could get say... a rickenbacker? why buy the simple p bass when someone could buy another bass that is more versatile or easier to play? what makes the p bass so good?


Top
Profile
Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject: hey
Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2009 4:07 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Wed Dec 16, 2009 3:49 pm
Posts: 9
everything!! brilliant guitar. was never too keen on them my self till i played it for the first time. sound s amazing, looks good, easy to play... everything you could want. the only bass i have ever played better than a p bass is a ernie ball music manstingray. swear down, brilliant guitar. highly reconended.

all the best,

kieran


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2009 5:56 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Wed Dec 09, 2009 5:10 pm
Posts: 37
For me, simplicity has always been one of the attractions of the Mighty P Bass. I look at some of the basses out there today and they look like you need a pilot's license or a Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering to operate.

Bells and whistles and the like just don't impress me. Give me a good, solid instrument like the P Bass that does one thing and one thing only, and exceptionally well: It rattles the floorboards.

In the end, it all boils down to personal preference and really, Rick makes a kick $@! bass, also.


Top
Profile
Post subject: why buy a p-bass when i could buy
Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2009 12:58 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician

Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2007 2:45 pm
Posts: 1271
Ricks are awesome Basses, I can see one in my collection some day. Buy I would never give up my American Standard P-Bass. Great sound easy to play, I just love it. Try both before you deside.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: hey
Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2009 7:02 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jun 26, 2007 11:33 am
Posts: 62
fredsgotslacks92 wrote:
everything!! brilliant guitar. was never too keen on them my self till i played it for the first time. sound s amazing, looks good, easy to play... everything you could want. the only bass i have ever played better than a p bass is a ernie ball music manstingray. swear down, brilliant guitar. highly reconended.

all the best,

kieran


hahaha 'swear down' . Thats hilarious!!!! Are you from london/ england by any chance?? It cracks me up when my mates say that!

And rickenbackers just dont have the bottom end like p basses do. Look at bassists like roger waters and paul simonon all switched to p bass. Coz its the best!!!


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Why get a p bass when i could get say... a rickenbacker?
Posted: Sat Dec 19, 2009 4:37 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Thu Aug 07, 2008 3:12 pm
Posts: 6355
Location: Albemarle, NC
will pumpkin wrote:
Why get a p bass when i could get say... a rickenbacker? why buy the simple p bass when someone could buy another bass that is more versatile or easier to play? what makes the p bass so good?


Ok then get a Ricky. BUT, I think that, deep down, you really want a P-Bass. What makes the P-bass so good is that it isn't a Ricky.

If you want to cover 95% of the music out there you need a P-bass. The other 5% you can cover with either a Ricky or a J-bass.

What makes a P-Bass better than a Ricky is akin to asking why mom's apple pie tastes better than your girlfriend's cherry pie. You are comparing two different things here...apples and cherries. They both have their valid strong points. There is just something about mom's apple pie....maybe the extra lard in the crust?


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Sat Dec 19, 2009 6:35 am
Offline
Amateur
Amateur
User avatar

Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2007 12:30 pm
Posts: 177
Location: Sunny Southern Wisconsin
Get both! :D


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Sat Dec 19, 2009 7:16 am
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician
User avatar

Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2009 6:23 am
Posts: 833
IMO, the P-bass is one of the most versatile instruments out there.Every band I've ever seen with one, the P-bass just seems to fit whatever style of music they play like a glove. And I really dig the simplicity. One pup, one tone, one volume control. That's all you'll ever need.


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Sat Dec 19, 2009 11:15 am
Offline
Roadie
Roadie
User avatar

Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2009 2:37 pm
Posts: 225
Location: Canada, NB
I see! so the 1951 p bass is really good to then? Simplicity all the way!


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Sun Dec 20, 2009 5:27 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2007 1:07 am
Posts: 7
Try the PBass Special. Think you will like it or maybe the Fender Aerodyne Jazz. Don't have the Aerodyne Jazz model but I do own the Aerodyne PBass model and really like it. Never had a Ric in my hands so I can't say anything good or bad about those. Good luck in your search & remember ''Happy Thumping''.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Why get a p bass when i could get say... a rickenbacker?
Posted: Sun Dec 20, 2009 10:21 am
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jan 19, 2009 11:47 am
Posts: 394
brotherdave wrote:
If you want to cover 95% of the music out there you need a P-bass. The other 5% you can cover with either a Ricky or a J-bass.


I agree with the other stuff you said in that post but.... for 95% of music you need a P bass? That's a pretty weighty statement. I play a lot of different styles ranging from rock to jazz to heavier stuff, and I find myself using a P bass maybe 5-10% of the time. I think it's impossible to say that any one bass "covers 95%" of anything. It entirely depends on the style of music AND the player's personal style. To bassists may be playing in the exact same music and they will have different styles and a different tone. The P bass may be the holy grail for some, but it's not for others.


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Sun Dec 20, 2009 10:41 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Sun Oct 18, 2009 10:05 am
Posts: 11
Location: Russia
Why r u trying to compare two different basses? It's like what is better Ibanez RG or Music Man Axis? Precision Bass is great & Rickenbacker too.. But they're too different.. By the way they each of them should be used in different styles IMO.. But if you need good bottom, versatile & comford during playing, so you shouldn't think.. Just buy P Bass & enjoy))

Good Luck))


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Sun Dec 20, 2009 10:51 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2007 6:33 am
Posts: 4583
Location: North of Pittsburgh
While the Ric is a nice bass, IMO, nothing compares to a Precision, the feel. the sound are it's own.

I was playing both my Precision and my VM Jazz this morning. I love the Jazz but it can't compete with the Precision. The Jazz creates sounds, the Precision makes sounds, everything comes from the instrument, not the pickups.

Anyone else know what I mean?


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Sun Dec 20, 2009 1:36 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Sun Dec 20, 2009 1:12 pm
Posts: 11
I've been playing for 30 years, and currently own 18 basses, and have bought and traded a lot of horseflesh in my time, last count over 50 basses, I can tell you from my experience that there are differences, and there is no right or wrong answer. It's what you think you need, that ultimately controls what you buy, collect and keep.
I own several Fenders, a Rick 4003 and a number of other brands of 6, 5, and 4 string basses. So here's my take, anyone on here that tells you that Ricks have no bottom end, they don't know what they are talking about. Sir Paul, played the entire Wings and part of the Beatles late catalog with one. The old 4001's had an extra capacitor in them that did limit the bottom end on the front pickup which is easily removed or wired around, I've done it, there's oodles of bottom in them. When Rick came out with the 4003 they did away with it, now they have brought it back and have it wired to a push pull pot on the front pickup's tone control, so that you can get that sound when you want it.
I love my 4003 and it actually has more bottom than a J-bass, quite equal to a P-bass, but not better, just different. I love my J-basses and P-basses. I do agree with earlier statements that praised it's simplicity, it is that and it's nearly bullet proof construction type that endears it to me. I have one ding on Ricks, the factory tail piece bridge set up depends on the truss rods being stiff enough to make the neck just about dead flat, in order to bring the bass into proper intonation, and adjustment is a time consuming process. The J-bass and P-bass just isn't like that. I replaced my factory Rick 4003 bridge with one of the new custom Hipshot Rick bridges, its a drop in, fits into the old footprint perfectly and has very high mass and is super easy to adjust, just like a Fender, other than that complaint, the Rick is a fantastic instrument, not necessarily better, just different.


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Sun Dec 20, 2009 4:27 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Thu Aug 07, 2008 3:12 pm
Posts: 6355
Location: Albemarle, NC
anubis16 wrote:
brotherdave wrote:
If you want to cover 95% of the music out there you need a P-bass. The other 5% you can cover with either a Ricky or a J-bass.


I agree with the other stuff you said in that post but.... for 95% of music you need a P bass? That's a pretty weighty statement. I play a lot of different styles ranging from rock to jazz to heavier stuff, and I find myself using a P bass maybe 5-10% of the time. I think it's impossible to say that any one bass "covers 95%" of anything. It entirely depends on the style of music AND the player's personal style. To bassists may be playing in the exact same music and they will have different styles and a different tone. The P bass may be the holy grail for some, but it's not for others.


Yep Anubis. You are right. For me personally a P-bass covers way more of the territory that I need to cover.

Most recorded music is a P-bass, up until the 70's it was sort of a P-Bass monopoly. In the mid to late 60's Noel Redding brought the Jazz to prominence in recorded rock music. Prior to him it was always a P-bass, P-bass, P-bass. The P-Bass is still the bass used on a majority of recordings in many genres of music. For a few things you need an active or a Jazz or a Rick sound or an acoustic/electric or even a double bass. I usually manage to get by at gigs with just a P-bass and one active bass which I use for a very few things.

My passive P-basses won't do an active sound. There are much better basses for slap and tap, which is no problem for me because I don't play any slap and tap anyway. Never was interested in that stuff. What the P-bass does well is just about everything else. I figure the music requiring a tone I can't cover with a P-bass is maybe 5% of what is out there that appeals to me.

On the other hand a Jazz just doesn't cover as much territory for me. I don't even own a full blown Jazz anymore. Don't need one. The last Jazz I had was an early Highway One. That was my fourth Jazz in all over the years. Never used the H.O. model enough to justify keeping it so I sold it.

I've decided that a P/J arrangement would be good for gigging so I'm probably going in that direction with a P-Special of some sort someday.


Top
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 41 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2, 3  Next
Go to page 1, 2, 3  Next

All times are UTC - 7 hours

Fender Play Winter Sale 2020

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: